Natural Behavior

Teeth baring as a model to understand complex facial signals in a tolerant macaque species

Facial communication regulates many aspects of social life in human and nonhuman primates. Empirically identifying distinct facial expressions and their underlying functions can help illuminate the evolution of species' communicative complexity. We focused on bared-teeth faces (BTFs), a highly versatile...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Fantoni, F., Maglieri, V., Giusti, N. et al. 2025. Teeth baring as a model to understand complex facial signals in a tolerant macaque species. American Journal of Primatology 87(1), e23697.

Chimpanzee activity and behavioral diversity extends across 24 hours in both captive and wild settings

Studying nocturnal behavior is crucial for understanding the full scope of a species' behavioral flexibility so as to inform the conservation of wild populations and the care of captive individuals. However, this aspect of primate behavior is understudied, especially in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Funkhouser, J. A., Boostrom, H., Hellmuth, H. et al. 2025. Chimpanzee activity and behavioral diversity extends across 24 hours in both captive and wild settings. American Journal of Primatology 87(1), e23729.

Are you serious? Relaxed open mouth may unveil the competitive/cooperative nature of play fighting in two feline species

Play fighting is a multifunctional behaviour allowing the development of both cooperative and competitive skills. During play fighting, animals perform ‘competitive' actions that are typical of the agonistic context and/or ‘cooperative' actions to avoid escalation into aggression. Several structural features...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cat, Other Animal

Citation: Demuru, E., Collarini, E., Menon, A. et al. 2025. Are you serious? Relaxed open mouth may unveil the competitive/cooperative nature of play fighting in two feline species. Animal Behaviour 220, 123042.

Social sham chewing in sows?

In this short communication, we describe chewing behaviour in sows with no apparent edible substrate in their mouth as a potential social behaviour. Chewing in sows during interaction with unfamiliar sows was unexpectedly observed in a study assessing social abilities...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Anderson, C., Backeman Hannius, L. M., De Oliveira, D. et al. 2024. Social sham chewing in sows? Behavioural Processes 218, 105042.

Disentangling developmental effects of play aspects in rat rough-and-tumble play

Animal play encompasses a variety of aspects, with kinematic and social aspects being particularly prevalent in mammalian play behaviour. While the developmental effects of play have been increasingly documented in recent decades, understanding the specific contributions of different play aspects...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Liu, Q., Radchenko, M., Špinka, M. 2024. Disentangling developmental effects of play aspects in rat rough-and-tumble play. Biology Letters 20(5), 20240037.

Cats just want to have fun: Associations between play and welfare in domestic cats

Play is often considered an indicator and promotor of animal welfare and may facilitate closer cat-human relationships. However, few studies have empirically investigated these associations. The current study aimed to investigate play-related factors associated with four welfare outcome measures in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Henning, J., Nielsen, T., Fernandez, E. et al. 2023. Cats just want to have fun: Associations between play and welfare in domestic cats. Animal Welfare 32, e9.

Feline faces: Unraveling the social function of domestic cat facial signals

Lately, there has been a growing interest in studying domestic cat facial signals, but most of this research has centered on signals produced during human-cat interactions or pain. The available research on intraspecific facial signaling with domesticated cats has largely...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Scott, L., Florkiewicz, B. N. 2023. Feline faces: Unraveling the social function of domestic cat facial signals. Behavioural Processes 213, 104959.

Rescued cats prefer to scratch fabrics commonly used to cover upholstered furniture

Preference responses of cats for scratching fabrics commonly used on furniture were evaluated during four consecutive days in three Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that rescue companion animals. Cats were grouped and their choices were registered at a group level (no individual...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Rossi, A. P., dos Santos, C. R. C., Maia, C. M. et al. 2023. Rescued cats prefer to scratch fabrics commonly used to cover upholstered furniture. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 26(3), 313–324.

Social behavior deficiencies in captive American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)

Understanding how the behavior of captive American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) congregations compares to wild congregations is essential to assessing the welfare of alligators in captivity. Wild alligator congregations perform complex social behaviors, but it is unknown if such behaviors occur...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Reptile

Citation: Walsh, Z. C., Olson, H., Clendening, M. et al. 2022. Social behavior deficiencies in captive American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3(1), 131–146.

The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals (9th ed.)

The latest edition of the seminal reference on the care and management of laboratory and research animals. The newly revised ninth edition of The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals delivers an up-to-date...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Euthanasia, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Relocation & Transport, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Cephalopod, Crustacean, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Invertebrate, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mole Rat, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Bird, Other Fish, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Sheep, Snake, Tree Shrew, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Golledge, H., Richardson, C. (Eds.) 2024. The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals (9th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. 1040 p.